What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The pilot stated that on approach for landing, the landing gear failed to extend. After several attempts to get all three gear safe lights, the nose gear light would still not come one. The tower advised the pilot that the gear appeared to be down and a landing was attempted. During landing, the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded to a stop on the lower engine cowling, with the propeller striking the runway. The a/c owner had maintenance personnel start repairs prior to FAA investigations. Personnel at this repair station indicated that they found no defects in the landing gear system and that it operated normally when it was tested. It was noted that this a/c was being used for flight training at the time of the incident and that the hydraulic system had been under heavy use cycling flaps and landing gear. This a/c has a control device that deenergizes the elctric hydrau lic pump after 17 seconds of continous operation. It is speculated that the hydraulic motor duy cycle may have been exceeded and this device deactivated the pump during operation of the flaps and landing gear on approach for landing. The pump motor circuit may be reset by cycling the "hyd pump" circuit breaker, but neither the student or the instructor were aware of this. The emergency landing gear extension system for this aircraft depends on inertia to assist the gear into the locked position. It is most likely that the gear was either partially down, or their airspeed too high, when the emergency system was activated, preventing the nose gear from locking into the down position. The aircraft owner, student, and instructor were counseled regarding the operation of the aircraft hydraulic and landing gear systems.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE PILOT STATED THAT ON APPROACH FOR LANDING, THE LANDING GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO GET ALL THREE GEAR SAFE LIGHTS, THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT WOULD STILL NOT COME ONE. THE TOWER ADVISED THE PILOT THAT THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN AND A LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED. DURING LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING, WITH THE PROPELLER STRIKING THE RUNWAY. THE A/C OWNER HAD MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL START REPAIRS PRIOR TO FAA INVESTIGATIONS. PERSONNEL AT THIS REPAIR STATION INDICATED THAT THEY FOUND NO DEFECTS IN THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM AND THAT IT OPERATED NORMALLY WHEN IT WAS TESTED. IT WAS NOTED THAT THIS A/C WAS BEING USED FOR FLIGHT TRAINING AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND THAT THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM HAD BEEN UNDER HEAVY USE CYCLING FLAPS AND LANDING GEAR. THIS A/C HAS A CONTROL DEVICE THAT DEENERGIZES THE ELCTRIC HYDRAU LIC PUMP AFTER 17 SECONDS OF CONTINOUS OPERATION. IT IS SPECULATED THAT THE HYDRAULIC MOTOR DUY CYCLE MAY HAVE BEEN EXCEEDED AND THIS DEVICE DEACTIVATED THE PUMP DURING OPERATION OF THE FLAPS AND LANDING GEAR ON APPROACH FOR LANDING. THE PUMP MOTOR CIRCUIT MAY BE RESET BY CYCLING THE "HYD PUMP" CIRCUIT BREAKER, BUT NEITHER THE STUDENT OR THE INSTRUCTOR WERE AWARE OF THIS. THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM FOR THIS AIRCRAFT DEPENDS ON INERTIA TO ASSIST THE GEAR INTO THE LOCKED POSITION. IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT THE GEAR WAS EITHER PARTIALLY DOWN, OR THEIR AIRSPEED TOO HIGH, WHEN THE EMERGENCY SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED, PREVENTING THE NOSE GEAR FROM LOCKING INTO THE DOWN POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT OWNER, STUDENT, AND INSTRUCTOR WERE COUNSELED REGARDING THE OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT HYDRAULIC AND LANDING GEAR SYSTEMS.